Shane Clancy (Celexa death)

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Elaine O’Hara, a childcare and newsagent worker, was discharged from St Edmondsbury psychiatric unit on the 22nd of August 2012. Following a visit to her mother’s grave later that day, she went missing; it was the last time she was seen alive. At that time, due to her psychiatric history, her family though she had probably taken her own life. Her body was found the following year (Sept 2013) in the Dublin Mountains by a woman out walking her dog. Following a lengthy police investigation it transpired that Elaine was having an alleged sadomasochistic relationship with Graham Dwyer, a 42 year old architect from Foxrock in Co. Dublin. Although the cause of Elaine’s death has not been established, Mr Dwyer is currently on trial for her murder. According to the Irish Independent, their relationship was based on ‘BDSM’ – bondage, domination, sadomasochism, and masochism. Whether this man is guilty of Elaine’s murder (or not) remains to be determined by the Irish judiciary.

The Irish media are having a field day, initially portraying Elaine O’Hara as a very vulnerable yet intelligent woman; now it seems that her death is viewed as a media free-for-all, a no-holes-barred media circus. What struck me as really sad in this very peculiar case, is that Elaine herself seems to have been put on trial. Every aspect of her life, every lifestyle choice has been examined, scrutinised and then widely publicized for a further round of public analyses. There seems to be a general consensus that Elaine’s relationship with this man (and his sadistic fetishes) somehow veered towards an acquiescence of sorts. People naturally wonder how Elaine O’Hara could go out with this man, who according to media reports, had a sadistic penchant for inflicting pain on women.

Early difficulties -

Media reports say that Elaine’s difficulties started in her teens when she was bullied in school and a close friend of hers died in a road accident. Sadly, this then led to Elaine being treated under irish psychiatric ‘care’ and consequently medicated accordingly. She became very withdrawn and tried to cut her wrists at age 16. According to her father she had been medicated very heavily from the time she was a teenager and this affected their relationship – “she was hard going sometimes”. He said Elaine was on so much medication that she would sometimes fall asleep. He further stated that this had affected her in her teenage and early adult years. Considering this cocktail of mind altering drugs, is it really a surprise that Elaine would make some dubious decisions?

Elaine was released from a psychiatric Hospital the same day she went missing. That same day she collected 10 medications from her local pharmacy for athsma, diabetes, anxiety, depression, a stomach problem, vertigo and an added one for cholesterol. Which medical experts allowed this polypharmacy to continue; why did no-one put a stop to it?

Her sister Anne described Elaine as a ‘naive’ person who would “tell a man on the street her life story”. She said Elaine’s psychological difficulties meant that she ‘acted quite young’ and “she never really grew up as much as the rest of us, she was very naive, very trusting of people”. Psychologist Sheila Hawkins (partner of Elaine’s father) said “I placed her emotional development around the age of 15”. Ms Hawkins said she was aware of Elaine’s interest in sado-masochism and there was further evidence in court of a latex bodysuit being discovered. A work colleague testified that everything Elaine said had to be taken “with a pinch of salt”. She further stated “You wouldn’t know what was true or what wasn’t true”. How very sad that every single element of this woman’s life is under scrutiny; the question is, who is on trial here?

Polypharmacy -

So what about the ten medications she was on? Which doctor added in the 10th drug? Which medical expert said “Righty ho Elaine, how many drugs are you on? Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven, not eight but nine prescription drugs. Okay so, let’s add in another one for good measure and that might solve your problems” . Were any of these prescribers experts in Pharmacology or psychopharmacology? Did any have a clue as to how these ten different drugs could interact? Does anyone actually care?

It seems there was a point where at least one doctor wanted to reduce her drug regime. Her father said that in her last five years “doctors were trying to reduce her medications and he thought she had improved quite a bit”. Despite this, the Irish Independent reported that ‘in the two years before her disappearance, the cost of the medication dispensed by her local pharmacy was €8,417’. Is it any wonder that this woman would allow herself to be moulded and coached by a dangerous man? She was medicated to within an inch of her life or arguably, within an inch of her death. It actually surprises me that she was able to function after consuming these drugs, never mind function coherently.

In my opinion, whether this man is found guilty or not, Elaine was abused in life by our Irish acceptance of the ‘medical experts’ and their ridiculous polypharmacy. Following her death, she and her family are now being abused by the media’s very public portrayal of every aspect of Elaine’s very short life. Would she have gone anywhere near this man or this lifestyle if she wasn’t medicated to the gills with dangerous mind altering drugs? That is quite possibly the one question the media are not prepared to ask.

Before I go on, I need to say that I acknowledge that I am not perfect – not even close. My faults are many and varied; I have no patience, do not suffer fools gladly, am blunt to point of being offensive, dread boredom, am stubborn, defensive, rebel against authority and I rarely apologise (the latter only because I’m rarely, if ever, wrong). I do have one particular pet hate – people eating noisily. I’m as likely to turn off the telly for extreme violence as I am when ‘Eastenders’ actors are having their dinner. Seeing past their tonsils to what they’ve had for their breakfast, along with the added audio of crunching, salivating, slurping and the scraping of cutlery makes me want to throw the tv out the bloody window. Apart from that, I’m actually quite easy-going.

So now we’ve got that out of the way – yes? Perfection did indeed pass me by. I fear a possible psychiatric diagnosis of misophonia in in order, among other equally unsavory things.

Now to my husband’s faults. So the long suffering Tony has finally given up the cigarettes, without the aid of Chantix I might add – the dangerous medication that the doc was trying to push on him. So we can all sleep safe in our beds, in the full knowledge that he won’t kill us all in our sleep. That’s one consolation I suppose. Although, whether he can sleep soundly in his bed is another matter entirely.

I suppose the bold husband could be diagnosed with an addictive personality, if he ever had the misfortune to go up against psychiatry that is, which thankfully is highly unlikely. He actually can’t drink a glass of wine without finishing the bottle; when sent for chocolate he can’t just buy one bar, has to buy a shed load; can’t smoke ‘just one’ with that glass of wine, he has to chain smoke. So after much cajoling and good honest-to-God blackmailing from his health-conscious sons, he finally did the decent thing and gave up the fags. On New Year’s Eve, he willingly and quite good-naturedly, stubbed out his final cancer stick.The good nature, it has to be said, didn’t last very long but we won’t go there, at least not just yet. Naturally though, he had to swop something for that horrible thing he used to have hanging out of his gob – Food, food and more food! How is it possible that one skinny man can consume so much in 24 days? Now considering my pet hate, I fear this is not going to end well.

While relaxing at night with the tv, computer, book, or whatever, I have this strange frazzled man beside me munching in my ear. His attempts to keep the noise down just prolong the agony. Apples. Did you know apples can be bad for your health? Buckets of sweets, pizza, chinese and indian food being munched beside me are tolerated, admittedly through gritted teeth, but apples are most definitely the worst. Chomping on an apple could have the unfortunate side-effect of leaving a person dead, or at the very least divorced.

Who knew that fruit could be almost as bad for you as Chantix? Did I say I earlier that I have no Patience; I should get a sainthood award for what that man’s putting me through!

Last week the Coroner for West Galway, Dr Ciaran MacLoughlin, conducted nine inquests in one day. What he found deeply disturbing was that seven of the deaths were self-inflicted. He said “Seven deaths, all bunched together. It is very alarming – it is a terrible tragedy … ” Brian McDonald’s excellent article provides an unusual insight into the deaths that were deemed to be suicide.

The Coroner’s findings, while tragic, were not in fact unusual. In December 2011 another Coroner, this time in Wexford, performed inquests into the deaths of eight people. Again these inquests were all performed in one day – six were deemed to be suicide.

I would argue, taking lunchtime and tea breaks into consideration, exactly how much investigation goes into finding ‘who, when, where and how’ a person has died? Would approximately an hour for each individual serve to bring justice for his/her death, or provide answers for the families left behind? The opportunity to find the common denominator in both of these Coroner’s courts was sadly overlooked. If, in the 13 ‘deaths by suicide’ recorded by these two Coroners, there is no common denominator, then we will probably never reduce the suicide rate. The millions earned and spent on suicide prevention and ‘mental health’ in this country might as well be turfed into the Liffey. Be under no illusion, suicide generates a lot of money worldwide and that includes Ireland.

I suggest that answers will be found once bereaved families are asked to participate in suicide prevention. They could be asked to provide details of the deceased’s life, particularly of their final year. What events could explain their choice to die? Is it possible that Swedish medical writer Janne Larsson is correct, that the majority of suicide victims had been prescribed psychiatric drugs, known (despite the denial by Irish psychiatry) to double the risk of suicide? Is Declan Gilsenan (retired Irish Pathologist) right in saying that he believes that these drugs are causing suicides? He has said, of the last five autopsies he performed on suicide victims, 4 had been recently introduced to an ssri antidepressant. Is Professor David Healy (Irish psychopharmacologist and world-leading expert on these drugs) right when he says that these drugs are causing hundreds of Irish people to feel so desperate, that they choose death as the only way to escape the adverse effects of same?

One thing is for sure, one miserable hour is not going to get to the bottom of why a person chose death instead of life. Is 60 minutes of a Coroner’s attention all that the family’s beloved one was worth?

Is 60 minutes enough to determine whether akathisia played a part in a person’s demise? Nope, not a chance of it. It does beg the question though – if these inquests had a jury, along with a medical expert, would their deaths have been determined as suicide? Would the juries instead, as in my son’s inquest, have rejected a sucide verdict on account of the prescribed drug in his/her system? One thing is for sure, an hour to determine ‘who, when, where and how’ is, in my opinion, just adding insult to injury.

Last week we had yet another ‘mental health’ discussion on Irish TV which portrayed antidepressants as a cure-all for depression. The programme’s presenters stated that ‘it’s not a shameful thing anymore, to take antidepressants’. In fact it’s not actually a big deal to admit being on antidepressants because so many people of the ‘enlightened’ western world have a chemical defect, which only happy pills can fix; ah bless. In attempting to seem enlightened, one would be forgiven for believing that these Irish presenters were talking about the harmless Smartie. Not a mention of silly side effects for the dimwitted public either – much too complicated. Sure what’s informed consent between friends? My silly Tweet ‘for balance don’t you know’ went unanswered.

Coincidentally, last week I had the pleasure of reading ‘The Woman Who Stole My Life’ by Marian Keyes. There’s nothing quite as relaxing as a weekend with your face stuck into the latest Marian Keyes. I was a tad surprised though to read a somewhat flippant thread of prescription drugs running through the book, with the two main characters taking Xanax and antidepressants. I should point out that they had a great sex life, which in reality is highly unlikely when taking antidepressants. Ah well, sure it’s only fiction and they are only Smarties after all. No mention of the factual antidepressant induced PSSD (persistent post-SSRI sexual dysfunction) to dampen the spirits (or sexual desires) of Marian’s readers; and indeed who could blame her?

Knock yourself out –

While many will say ‘these drugs saved my life’, there are many others who sadly can no longer speak. For every one person these drugs have helped, how many have they killed? The dangers of these drugs are widely known. The effects of taking antidepressants can include: suicide ideation, homicide ideation, violence, mania, worsening depression, akathisia, abnormal bleeding, discontinuation syndrome (withdrawal), anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness and impulsivity. Hyponatremia – signs include headache, difficulty concentrating, memory impairment, confusion, weakness, and unsteadiness, which may lead to falls. Signs and symptoms associated with more severe and/or acute cases have included hallucination, syncompe, seizure, coma, respiratory arrest, and death. Despite the large scale use in pregnancy, antidepressants can be harmful to unborn babies. The teratogenic effect is believed by some experts to double the rate of autism in children and increase the risk of lung, heart and bowel diseases. Tragically the latter is not an exhaustive list! Dr Urato of Tufts University, stated “Doctors are putting thousands of pregnant women and their unborn children at serious risk of harm by prescribing them anti-depressants.. amounting to a large scale human experiment”.

I’ve been banging this well-worn drum for over 5 years, ever since my son Shane died from an antidepressant induced death. So please, by all means, feel free to take as many prescription drugs as you please. Genuflect reverently to your friendly GP who’s ready to pen that prescription quicker than you can say ‘quick draw McGraw’ if the mood takes you. ‘Knock yourself out’ in the numerous pharmacies if you feel the need, but let me say one thing – Don’t ever say that I didn’t warn you. I’m not at all adverse to saying ‘I told you so’!

TG4 has recently televised a brilliant documentary on SSRIs (Selective Serotonin ReUptake Inhibitors) – you know, the dangerous antidepressants I’m always on about. The drugs which can cause people to kill themselves and others, and did so in my son Shane’s case with Lundbeck’s SSRI Citalopram (aka cipramil/celexa).

At this stage, Irish Psychiatry et al, who continue to deny that these drugs can cause suicide or violence, are looking pretty idiotic. I guess the pharma funded blinds go a long way to make up for ‘stupid’. Anyway, the link to the programme is here. I’m sorry to say it can only be viewed in Ireland and possibly on some iphones.

The ‘Dark Side of a Pill’ is obviously a very recent programme as it involves the recent case of the Manitoba teenager who killed his friend. The Winnipeg judge ruled that he murdered his friendbecause of the effects of the SSRI Prozac. Brian of AntiDepAware wrote about the case here (March 25 2014).

Considering that there are so many people consuming ‘life-saving’ (yes, that is sarcasm) pharmaceutical drugs that our wildlife are suffering because of it, be informed; watch the TG4 Programme. It just might save your life, or the life of your child. You might find it interesting to read Peter Hitchins view on SSRIs affecting our wildlife today:

“It’s sad to learn that starlings are suffering from antidepressants, apparently because they eat sewage-farm worms that have ingested the drugs from human waste. But isn’t it rather more important that so many people are still being persuaded to take these dubious, risky tablets – increasingly linked with inexplicable suicide?”

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Yet again Ireland has suffered another horrific familicide. This time a retired couple, Jimmy and Kathleen Cuddihy from County Donegal, were found dead in their home. Their son Julian, a mechanical engineer, has been detained by Gardaí; an axe found at the family home is believed to be the murder weapon.

The Irish Times reported that Julian Cuddihy had been ‘medically assessed recently after concerns were expressed about his mental health’. He had been found close to the scene with a legally held shotgun and was suicidal. Most of the newspapers reported that he had recently ‘suffered from depression’, as if this somehow explained the tragedy. More stated that there is no clear motive, that Julian was very close to his parents and that the community is in shock. One source said that there was ‘certainly no issue between himself and the parents’ and that ‘there was nothing to suggest that this was coming’. He further stated that the community’s heart goes out to Julian as well as his parents.

Friends of Julian said that he had been ‘angry and agitated’ this week, which they found odd. The Irish Independent quoted a friend as saying “Julian is a normally quiet soul, well educated and articulate but he just didn’t appear to be himself in recent days”.

So how then could this happen? As was the case with the other recent Irish familicides, Julian had recent ‘medical intervention’. What was he prescribed? Was he prescribed an SSRI (Selective Serotonin ReuUptake Inhibitor), known to double the risk of suicide and violence. If so, did the drug cause mania, psychosis or akathisia (a well known precursor to suicide and violence). Certainly the agitation Julian demonstrated points to akathisia. Was he prescribed an SSRI for the first time or was his medication changed while he was being accessed? This tragedy certainly seems to have all the hallmarks of an SSRI tragedy. Similar to the O’Driscoll and Skeffington tragedies, by all accounts Julian was a nice guy, this tragedy was ‘out of the blue’, was uncharacteristic and he had recently been ‘medically accessed’.

The 3 experts who went to Leinster House and told Kathleen Lynch that SSRIs are causing many deaths, even suicide and homicide, may be shocked to realise that the Irish Government have done nothing. As with my son Shane’s case, if this Donegal tragedy is SSRI induced, as I suspect it is, the Irish Government should hang their heads in shame. My sincere condolences to the Cuddihy family.

How many dead children does it take before the medicine regulators take action? How many parents screaming ‘STOP’ will it take before this medication madness is banned?

This week another inquest sheds light on the dangers of prescribing SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors) to children. George Werb was 15 when he was admitted to the Priory Hospital in Southampton. He had previously been prescribed Olanzapine/Zyprexa and expressed concern that he was suffering from adverse effects of the drug. George’s parents also expressed concern that the drugs were harming him and asked for him to be taken off them. His mother, Joanne Werb, told his psychiatrist (Dr Carlos Hoyos) of George’s desperation to come off Olanzapine. Despite this, George and his parents’ concerns were ignored, the drugs were increased and Fluoxetine/Prozac was added to the mix.

According to this article, George had previously had an adverse reaction to fluoxetine, yet inexplicably he was prescribed it again and sent home. The following day (28/June/2013) George stepped in front of a train and was killed.

Defending his position, Dr Hoyos explained that “there is no significant evidence that the particular anti-depressants George was prescribed caused suicidal tendencies”. Seriously, what an absolute idiot! Dr Hoyos should be struck off for that one ill-informed sentence. If Dr Hoyos would care to open a packet of Fluoxetine, he would find a reference to suicidal tendencies in the PIL. I guess the supposed ‘expert’ never read the warnings or heard of a black-box then? Sadly for George, the ‘expert’ was no expert.

Similar to Tom Boomer’s family (Tom aged 14), George’s family said at no time were the risks of starting Fluoxetine or the risk of suicide discussed. Again, Maria Bradshaw whose son Toran (aged 17) died from a Prozac induced death, was not informed that SSRIs doubled the risk of suicide and violence. The drug company in Toran’s case (Mylan) admitted that Prozac was the ‘probable cause’ of his death. Despite the dire FDA and EMA warnings of prescribing antidepressants to children, there is widespread opinion among GPs and Psychiatry that Prozac is safer than other SSRIs in Paediatrics. ‘Not so’ according to Dr David Healy, the leading expert in SSRIs. He stated that “Prozac is no safer than other SSRIs for children“.

Earlier this year the Irish Independent reported that another Irish child (age 14) had died following a prescription for Prozac. His mother said “that she had no idea about the side effects of Prozac and that she would never have agreed to him taking it if she had” and that “NO mother in her right mind would let their child have a drug that can cause suicide and self-harm when they are suffering from those symptoms in the first place.”

So how many children will have to die before the multiple evidence before our eyes is believed?

Update, 07/Oct/2014 – Similar to the findings at Shane’s Inquest, George’s inquest found that despite walking in from of a train, George did not take his own life. A serious case review into George’s treatment at the Priory is under way – http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-29520139